At least 16 people, including children, were killed in a gas leak in a South African slum near Johannesburg on Thursday, according to emergency officials
The Wednesday night accident is believed to have been caused by illegal mining activities in the Angelo informal settlement east of Johannesburg.
"We have 16 confirmed dead on the scene now, and the intervention of paramedics managed to revive some others, who were taken to hospital," emergency services spokesperson William Ntladi said from the scene.
According to him, four people in the hospital are in "critical" condition, while 11 are in "serious but stable" condition. He noted that one, whom he identified as a minor, was fully aware. Five ladies and three children were killed.
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Fire and rescue services received a complaint about a gas explosion at about 8 p.m. local time. Still, upon arrival, they determined it was "a gas leakage from a cylinder" holding a "poisonous gas," according to Ntladi.
According to a statement, the event's cause "is alleged to be a nitrate oxide gas leakage from a cylinder used in an illegal mining activity in and around the settlement."
When first responders arrived near the middle-class suburb of Boksburg, they discovered scores of people "lying all over the area due to inhalation of this toxic gas," Ntladi said.
Rescue workers and forensic officers searched the impacted area, a collection of filthy shacks made of bricks and corrugated iron sheets. The location is at the base of an ancient and abandoned mine.
People and medics who had arrived at the scene to help or view the stuck truck were among those killed.
Dozens of people at a neighbouring hospital, including patients and employees, were seriously burned due to the explosion, which shattered windows and caused the roof to collapse.
